Book 41. Shadow Account,
by Stephen Frey. Unabridged audio.
Lots of thriller writers include occasional
financial subplots or aspects in their novels. John Grisham, David Baldacci, and
Robert Ludlum all write novels that fit into this subgenre. But Stephen Frey
specializes in novels that take place in the worlds of high finance and
investment banking. My favorites of his prior novels include “The Vulture Fund,”
“The Day Trader,” and “Silent Partner.” Some of his novels feature recurring
characters, but this one is a stand-alone.
Conner Ashby is an investment
banker on the way up in his career. But when he receives an email meant for
someone else, detailing corporate fraud on a massive scale at a huge public
company, he finds himself in the middle of a plot that may cost investors
billions of dollars.
The plot eventually includes
powerful political figures. Between the high-rollers of finance and political
power, Ashby finds himself in danger, and on his own. There are betrayals,
surprises, twists, turns, and shootouts. It is a solid high-stakes thriller.
Frey does a nice job dealing with
the financial aspects of the novel with accuracy, while not turning those
sections into lectures. The novel touches on accounting fraud, the role of
external auditors, and how little frauds can quickly turn into large frauds. There
are some shortcuts taken in this aspect of the storytelling, but the basic
facts are correct, and Frey manages to deliver them nicely within the context
of an adventurous fictional story.
Source: Hoopla
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